Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander had just finished signing his scorecard Thursday at Pebble Beach when he heard the stunning news.

Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners agreed on a seven-year, $175 million contract, the richest deal for a pitcher, according to a person familiar with the contract but unauthorized to speak publicly until the deal was finalized.

And just like that, while playing as an amateur in the AT&T National Pro-Am, Verlander, the 2011 American League Cy Young winner, got a whole lot richer.

So did David Price, the 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner. And Clayton Kershaw, the 2011 National League Cy Young winner.

Verlander and Kershaw are eligible for free agency after the 2014 season, Price after 2015.

Any of them could become baseball's first $200 million pitcher.

If nothing else, Hernandez's deal sure bodes well for their bank accounts.

"Yeah, I would guess so," Verlander said. "We'll see."

"The revenues in baseball today are over $8 billion,'' said agent Scott Boras, who represents Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg, "so the paradigm between players with superstar values and industry revenues, is that the pro quo will continue to operate."

Hernandez was scheduled to receive $19.5 million this season and $20 million in 2014. He now receives an average of $25 million from 2013 to 2019, when he'll be 33.

His contract eclipses the seven-year, $161 million deal CC Sabathia signed with the New York Yankees. The Los Angeles Dodgers' Zack Greinke (six years, $147 million) and the Philadelphia Phillies' Cole Hamels (six years, $144 million) signed big deals in the last six months.

The Mariners were eager to lock up Hernandez before free agency, since he's 26 and has been dominant the last four years, pitching at least 232 innings with a 2.81 ERA.

Yet Kershaw is two years younger than Hernandez and nearly won back-to-back Cy Young awards. The Dodgers, projected to have baseball's highest payroll (about $225 million), are expected to open negotiations with Kershaw this spring.